About Gabriella
by da1sy
Summary: Everybody he knew already knew who she was, so why haven't they been introduced before? But it doesn't matter now. What matters is that he has to meet her. He has to get to know her.  Troyella.
1. Chapter 1

Spring.

Eleanor Montez served as the mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico for nearly a decade. In that time, she hosted many events that included food drives and charity auctions that helped provide for the needy and the sick. She built affordable housing for the poor, as well as recreational centres and parks to give the youth a place to grow and play. She also improved public education – both the foundation and the curriculum of all the schools in the city. For all her contributions, Eleanor Montez was loved by all.

And I say the words "was loved" because today would be her funeral.

She had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer associated with the overproduction of plasma cells, early last spring and failed to run again as mayor. Due to her critical condition, Maria Montez, her only daughter residing in Albuquerque, took Eleanor into her home to take care of her until her death.

**Bolton Residence**

"Troy, are you ready? We're gonna be late!" Lucille shouted at her teenage son from the downstairs living room.

This past week had been a hectic one. There was no doubt that Troy would deny that statement. Ever since news broke out that Eleanor's long awaited death had been announced to the public, the entire city ... the entire state had been going crazy. Everywhere he goes, there's news about "the greatest mayor that ever lived", and that was according to The New Mexico Tribute. He can't even go to East High without seeing journalists cover a story about how she transformed a once run down high-school into one of the greatest architectural buildings in town, with red and white interiors and state-of-the art everything. Even the basketball courts that he and his friends go to just to shoot some hoops has been, for the past week, a shrine for Eleanor. After all, she did build the Albuquerque Sports Centre, a big dome that housed basketball, tennis, volleyball courts; football and soccer fields; swimming pools, and a gym with its own indoor track.

Today, Troy thought, would be the last day and everything would go back to normal. It's not that he hated the past week. He had known Eleanor since he can remember and he loved her just like she was his own grandmother. It was because he didn't want his mother running around, being tired and hungry, and losing sleep like she has in the past week, the past year even.

Jack Bolton and Maria Montez had known each other since they can remember – they grew up together, went to school together and even had the same group of friends all throughout high school. So when Jack Bolton introduced Lucille James to the entire gang in the summer after his third year in university, Lucille and Maria had become the best of friends.

When Lucille decided to leave her hometown in California after graduation to move in with Jack, her family had disowned her. The only people she could rely on were the Montez Family—the late Roberto and Eleanor Montez and Maria, along with her sisters. And when Jack had proposed to her, it was the Montez Family again who helped her plan and pay for the wedding. Lucille's family members, after a couple of years, have come around to apologize and ask to be part of her son, Troy's life and she eventually forgave them. But to Lucille, the Montez Family was her true family. This was why Lucille had stood by Maria's side through the past year.

At nights when Maria had to stay late or even go out of town for business meetings, Lucille would take care of Eleanor. Even after her death, Lucille would help Maria take care of Eleanor's unfinished documents, some issues regarding the funeral, the choice of cemetery, even deciding what to write on the epitaph of the tombstone.

Troy hated being selfish. He would never admit it but he had missed his mother. He was sure that his dad missed her too. In the past year, his mother had stopped going to his basketball games or his father's basketball games (Jack Bolton is the coach for the New Mexico Knights Basketball Team). It even took all their energy to convince her to go to their Annual Trip to the Swiss Alps during Christmas Break because she feared leaving Eleanor and Maria alone. In the end, she agreed to go but even then she was distant. But after today, Troy thought, his mother would finally be able to rest.

"Troy, I said, Are you ready?", Lucille shouted once again.

Troy had come running down the stairs to see his mother waiting on the couch. When she had seen his attire—ball shorts and an East High sweatshirt—she nearly had a heart attack.

"What have you been doing upstairs, young man? Why haven't you showered?" Lucille asked with frustration.

"Seriously, mom, if you have to go, why don't you go ahead? I'll just catch a ride with dad to the cathedral."

"Your dad's not coming home, remember? He's picking up Maria's sisters, nieces and nephews at the airport. They're landing in about an hour or so and he'll just meet us at St. Michael's." Lucille said, slightly annoyed at the fact that her son was far from being ready. "Come on Troy. Just come with me. Who cares if we're a little bit early? You can help us set up, put flowers along the altar or something."

"Mom, a little bit early? The funeral's in four hours!", Troy retorted. What is there to do for four hours, Troy thought, stare at Jesus?

"Like I said, you can help us set up. Gabriella's here, you know. She just got to Albuquerque last night with her father. She might be there right now" Lucille said.

"Gabriella who?" Troy asked, arching his eyebrow.

"Troy, you can't be serious. Gabriella, Auntie Maria's daughter. You've met her before, right?"

"Nah I don't think so", Troy said slightly not interested and impatient. "Listen mom, is it okay if I just catch a ride with the Danforths or something? Chad's home right now, there's no way in hell that he's gonna be at St. Michael's four hours early".

It was moments like these that Lucille wished she had a daughter instead. Teenage boys are so difficult. "Okay, okay! Once again Troy, you win" She said after a long sigh. How Troy managed to get what he wanted, she had no idea. She kissed her son on the cheek before she left and said "Please be on time and look your very best. Eleanor means so much to us, and you know that."

"I know. Thanks mom." Troy said as he shot his mother his famous smile. "I'll see you in a few".

Once Lucille left, Troy ran back upstairs and grabbed his phone. "Hello Chad? ... Yeah, let me shower and I'll be there in half an hour".

Just as he put his phone down, he heard his text message ring tone. He picked it up and read a message from Kendra:

"_Hey sexy. Come over for a bit"_

Kendra Powalski and Troy Bolton had no relationship at all, besides their sexual one. What can he say? Throughout the school year, he's just plain too busy. He juggles his grades, his part time job at the Sports Centre, East High basketball during school season, State basketball during off season, and family and friends all in one plate. A girlfriend just wouldn't fit into his schedule. But he had needs and Kendra was readily available.

He dialed Chad's number once again. "Chad actually, I'll be there in two hours. Can I actually get ready at your house? … Thanks. Later dude."

He grabbed his dress shoes and dry-cleaned suit still placed neatly in a bag, along with his car keys. He made his way to his garage and drove to Kendra's. He would then have to drive to Chad's and get ready there. It was going to be a long day. The funeral mass would begin in four hours and once the funeral's over, all the chaos would be over as well. But somehow, Troy felt that today would be the start of something else.

Something new.

Something big.


	2. Chapter 2

Maria Montez and Fabian Roberts had met at Columbia University while in law school. Because they had majority of all their classes together, they quickly became friends and after numerous late night study sessions and frequent all-nighters studying for exams, they fell in love.

After graduation, they landed their dream jobs. Maria at a Legal Aid Consultation Office in Upper East Side, New York and Fabian at a Business Litigation Law Firm in Manhattan. It wasn't long after when they got married, moved into a Manhattan Penthouse Suite and had their only daughter together, Gabriella Roberts.

Growing up, Gabriella's childhood was not like any regular child's. She didn't have both her parents read her bedtime stories or accompany her trick-or-treating on Halloween. Instead, due to her parents' busy schedule with work, they split everything in half. Fabian would attend Gabriella's ballet recitals while Maria would see her school plays. On Christmas and Gabriella's birthday, Maria would spend time with her in the morning while Fabian would spend time with her in the afternoon, and vice versa. Eventually, this system failed, as Maria and Fabian would constantly fight about not being able to make it to a specific occasion because their job was just way too damn important. Eventually, their marriage failed as well.

Gabriella was six years old when her parents had separated. It was perfect timing, actually. Just as the divorce papers were being finalized, Maria's mother Eleanor had just won the position of mayor of Albuquerque. Eleanor Montez had offered her a job regarding government law suits, both local and provincial, back home in New Mexico. It was a perfect opportunity for Maria but she knew she couldn't take her daughter with her and let her say goodbye to the life she's known her entire life. In the end, Maria and Fabian would compromise for their daughter one final time.

Gabriella would end up living in Manhattan. During the Christmas break she would fly to Albuquerque to spend time with her mother and grandmother. Spring break would be her and her father's time to fly out of the country for a mini-week long vacation. On Mother's Day, her mother would fly to New York to catch a Broadway show with her and in the summer months, she would spend two weeks again with her mother vacationing somewhere tropical. Even though Gabriella only saw her mother several times a year, they remain very close through emails and video chats.

Getting to keep Gabriella was the only thing Fabian had asked for during the divorce settlement. Although he knew how much his ex-wife loved Gabriella with all her heart, he would be forever grateful that Maria had given him his wish without having to put up a fight. But it wasn't without getting anything it return. Maria, too, also had one wish.

In return to giving Fabian the custody of their only daughter, Maria only asked for one thing: that a part of her will always be with her daughter. And the only way to do that, legally speaking, —she is a lawyer, of course— is to give her daughter her maiden name. And just like that, Gabriella Roberts became Gabriella Montez.

* * *

One week earlier.

Spring had always been her and her father's time of the year. During the break, her father would take some time off of work and they would travel together and visit a destination rich in cultural history and beautiful scenery. For the past couple of years, they had been travelling to the interiors of Europe. This year, they would be going to South America—Rio de Janeiro, to be exact—visiting sights such as the Christ, the Redeemer and the Sugarloaf Mountain. Typically, they would be sight seeing for seven days. But this year, her and her father have agreed to leave a little bit early and make a stop over to New Mexico. Her grandmother has been growing immensely ill and it's only a matter of time before her sickness gets the better of her. Although she didn't want to admit it, this would be her final visit before she passes away.

It was one of those rare weekday nights when Fabian had come home early from work just in time for dinner.

"Daddy, you're home", Gabriella said greeting her father, giving him a kiss on the cheek as he takes off his jacket and places his suitcase by the coatrack.

"Hey, Gabs. Is Hilda still here? I'm starving". Hilda has been working for the Roberts household for five years now and was hired when Fabian realized that he needed more help than he can admit. She would come by in the afternoon, clean the Penthouse, make dinner for Gabriella and then she would be dismissed, being driven home by Gabriella's chauffeur Frank, who would take her to and from school.

"She actually left not too long ago, but she did leave me a delicious looking lasagna. Care to join?" Gabriella said, making her way to the kitchen, her father following behind her.

"Yes please".

Fabian and Gabriella then proceeded to the dining room, sitting across from each another.

"So how was work, dad?" Gabriella asked.

"Actually, I'm glad you asked. Something interesting happened to me today. I got offered a job in Europe. A new litigation firm is opening in the UK and they want me as Senior Vice President for the London branch location."

"OH MY GOSH, DAD!" Gabriella shrieked, reaching over to give her father a hug. "What are we doing here eating lasagna when we can go somewhere nice like a restaurant and celebrate?"

"You don't think eating dinner with your old man is nice?" Robert said smiling with humor in his voice. "Relax Gabs, it's not gonna happen".

"You're not taking the offer? It's such an amazing opportunity and…" Her father had cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

"I mean its not gonna happen anytime soon. Look, I'm not gonna leave you alone in New York all by yourself. You'll be a senior next year, then you're going off to college in a year and a half and by then you'll be living on campus. The offer's not going anywhere and by then, I'll take it. Okay, young lady?" Fabian asked reassuring his daughter.

"Okay" Gabriella said smiling "But I'm still proud of you, dad! You'll receive a congratulatory present from me very very soon".

And then the phone rang. "Just ignore it, we'll see who it is after dinner," Her father said.

"That congratulatory present better be a new set of golf clubs".

Gabriella rolled her eyes. What is with men and golf? "Be patient, you'll see".

"So how was school, pumpkin? Any recitals or decathalons I should know about?" It was Fabian's turn to ask.

And then the phone rang again. And again, they ignored it. "School's school. Nothing new. And we do have a competition the Thursday after we get back from Rio. You don't have to go to that one. We've competed against St. Mary's before. It's nothing big really…"

The phone rang for the third time. "Dad, maybe we should pick it up".

Fabian stood up after taking a sip of his water. He reached for the phone and pressed the Talk Button. "Hello….Oh Hey Maria". Fabian always put on a certain tone whenever he was speaking to his ex-wife.

Gabriella stood in front of her father and mouthed to him the words "I wanna talk to mom after". Fabian nodded.

There was a long silence. Her father began to talk, "Maria, if there's anything I can do, I'm always here…" Again, silence filled the room. By this time, Gabriella knew something was up. "I'm passing it to Gabriella now, okay?" Fabian said handing the cordless phone to his daughter, not leaving her side.

"Hey mom" Gabriella waited for her mother's response through the phone.

"Gabi, honey, your grandmother passed away an hour ago".

And just like that, tears began to fall down her cheeks. Fabian had put an arm around his daughter for comfort and support.

"Dad and I were gonna visit her, you know? We were gonna come see her and…and…" Her tears were just too much to let her finish the sentence.

"Oh honey, I know. I told her you and your dad were coming and she was ecstatic to see you guys. She said she couldn't wait to see you especially. She loves you very much, Gabriella" She could hear her mother saying through the other line.

Not knowing what to say, Gabriella just said the words she could muster while her tears flowed down her face, "I'm sorry mom," And Gabriella handed the phone to her father and went to her room.

Fabian and Maria would talk on the phone for the next hour. After they hung up, Fabian knocked on Gabriella's door, entered her room, and saw his daughter lying down sideways facing her balcony. "Gabs, you okay?" He took a seat on her bed.

"I'm okay, now. I just feel guilty, you know? I never said goodbye. The last time I saw her was the day after New Years when I getting ready to fly back home, and dad, you should have seen her. She was so weak that she couldn't even go with mom to drop me off at the airport. I promised I'd see her, and now she's gone" Tears began to build up again and Gabriella began to cry for what would seem like the tenth time that night.

"Gabs, we tried, you know? We booked tickets to New Mexico to see her. Timing just wasn't on our side this time. It's nothing to feel guilty about."

"So what's gonna happen? When do we fly in to Albuquerque?" Gabriella asked.

"Your mother and I were just having this conversation. I told her we'd catch the next flight over there the second we finished packing. But she reassured me that there was no point because A) the last day of school before Spring Break is Friday and she didn't want you missing your classes and B) your mother and Lucille have everything under control. She also said that the funeral's on Sunday so I'll just ask my secretary to book us a flight to Albuquerque on Saturday."

"Dad, I hope you don't mind, but I've been thinking this entire time... Is it okay that I spend Spring Break in Albuquerque with mom? I think she needs me more. If that's all right with you…" Gabriella asked.

"Honey, I wouldn't have it any other way," He said giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm really sorry about Rio"

"Hey don't be, this just means you have to get me a really really really nice congratulatory present". Fabian said, stressing the words _really_.

Gabriella giggled, making her father proud that he had put a smile on her face.

"I love you, you know that?" Gabriella told her father.

"I love you too, and yes I do." Fabian answered.

Gabriella didn't know how she would get through the rest of the week all the way to Friday with a lot of things on her mind, especially since she was going through a loss.

But on Saturday, she would be catching a flight to Albuquerque with her father, a flight she usually took alone in the month of December.

This had been the first death Gabriella had experienced all her life.

This would also be the first Spring Break she would spend with her mother.

Somehow, subconsciously, Gabriella knew that there were going to be many firsts to come.

* * *

Author's note:

I'm sorry it's been two chapters and that nothing significant has happened yet. I just want to lay some foundations down first so no one's confused.

**Please review.** I'd really like to know whether to keep going or not. And it really does suck writing for an audience that doesn't exist.


	3. Chapter 3

Sharpay Evans was a mixture of many things. She was exceedingly dramatic and unreasonably spoiled; she was vocally obnoxious, awfully unpleasant and most of the time, totally intolerable. There was really no nice way to describe Sharpay Evans. She was a bitch and even she knew that. She was the most popular girl at East High, mainly because she was the richest girl in school. (Her parents owned a chain of country clubs along Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.) And while most girls would be on their knees pining for Troy Bolton's attention, girls would be on their knees pining for her friendship—girls she couldn't care less about. As popular as she was, Sharpay didn't have many friends. Of course, the only people she hung out with at school were some of the guys from the basketball team and that was for three reasons. One: She had known them since elementary school. Two: Her current boyfriend, Zeke Baylor, had become part of that group when he transferred to East High at the end of sophomore year. And three: They didn't judge her. But Sharpay didn't have many girlfriends. Girls, according to her, were prissy, gossiping, and 100% plastic. The only ones she actually adored and admired were Kelsi Nielson, Taylor McKessie and of course, Gabriella Montez.

She had met Kelsi Nielson, a music major at the Albuquerque Secondary School of Arts, at a theatre workshop a couple of months back. Sharpay was playing the lead female role of Viola while Kelsi was the show's director. They quickly got along and it was then that Sharpay had introduced Kelsi to her twin brother Ryan. Taylor, on the other hand, was Sharpay's closest girl friend at East High. While most girls at school spent 80% of their time trying to look pretty, Taylor had better things to do than to care whether or not her accessories matched her shoes. She was studious and very much involved with numerous extra curricular activities. And when she's not too busy being the school's vice president, she can be seen with her on-again off-again boyfriend, Chad Danforth. And then there was Gabriella Montez, her best friend and favorite person in the whole wide world …

Sharpay was six years old when she had met Gabriella. Every year her family hosted a Christmas Eve party at Lava Springs where everybody who was a somebody was invited. That year was also the same year that Maria Montez and Fabian Roberts divorced and since it was the holiday season, Gabriella had come to Albuquerque to visit.

_Flashback_

_It was Christmas Eve and here she was, at a country club, in the corner, sitting alone. It was her first time spending the holidays thousands of miles apart from her father and she missed him so much. Her mother and grandmother had dragged her to a party this evening leaving her at the kids' section while they mingled with their fellow grown ups. And because she didn't know anybody there, she decided to take her book out of her backpack and start reading to pass the time. Halfway through the story, she felt a shadow cast over her. She looked up and there she saw a girl, about her age, dressed in every shade of pink imaginable, with her blonde hair tied neatly in pigtails with a tiara on top. If Barbie were real, Gabriella thought, she's right here standing in front of me._

"_Hi", Gabriella smiled and greeted, slightly nervous and slightly afraid. _

"_You know that book you're reading…", the girl said as she skipped all the introduction. Gabriella looked down at her book, The Lion King, to see what she was talking about, "…my parents took me and my brother to see it live on Broadway"._

_Gabriella was dumbfounded but simply found her voice and answered, "Oh I've never seen that one yet, but my mom took me too see Mamma Mia one time. And my dad took me to see Mary Poppins."_

_It was Barbie's turn to be amazed. "You've seen two Broadway musicals?", she said wide-eyed._

"_It's not that far away from me, I live there", Gabriella replied._

"_You live in the New York aka the Big Apple? Then why are you here? This place is so far away. I know cause we took a plane just to get there" the girl said very much interested in their ongoing conversation._

"_I have to come here every Christmas to see my mom and grandma from now on" Gabriella explained. She tried to spot her mom from the crowd but couldn't find her. Instead she spotted her grandmother from afar. "You see tha lady over there? She's wearing purple," she said as she pointed at her grandmother. "That's my grandma"._

_Realizing who that women was, the blonde girl immediately said, "You're grandmother's the mayor? That's so cool. She's building a sports arena, my dad said." Jumping quickly to another topic, she then asked, "What's your name? I'm Sharpay. Sharpay Evans"._

_Sharpay Evans, Gabriella thought, what an unusual name. Beautiful, but unusual. "Gabriella Roberts". Realizing her mistake, she immediately corrected herself. "Err uhmm, my name's Gabriella Montez. Nice to meet you."_

_Sharpay then smiled. The girl in front of her was pretty and she had nice brown curly hair too, like the people in the movies. 'Gabriella' was a perfect name for her. "Come on Gabriella, I want you to meet Ryan and Chad and Jason. We have another friend but he's always away during this time of the year. He goes skiing with his family and stuff". Sharpay then led the way around her country club and introduced her to some new friends. As much as Gabriella hated to admit it, she had an amazing time that Christmas Eve with Sharpay. _

_Gabriella loved Sharpay's blunt outspokenness and Sharpay loved Gabriella's genuine demeanor. They might have been each other's opposites but in the years to come, Sharpay and Gabriella would become the best of friends. New Year's Day was also Ryan and Sharpay's birthday and Gabriella got to spend it every year with the Evans twins. In return, Sharpay would fly to New York during Gabriella's birthday weekend and they would spend the entire two days shopping, watching a live show, and staying up all night talking about whatever comes to mind. Sharpay was the best friend Gabriella never had at St. Mary's All Girls Catholic School. She got along with her peers really well but once class was over, they would all get picked up and retreat back to their private lives and that was that. With Sharpay, she didn't just have a friend outside of school; she had a friend outside of the state. When high school came around, Sharpay would then introduce Taylor to Gabriella and it would then be the three of them, being totally inseparable. In the summer months, they would take a trip to Los Cabos before school comes rolling around in September just to get away from it all._

_To the people at East High, Sharpay didn't have many friends. But to Sharpay, she had all the friends she needed._

* * *

Present Day

As mentioned earlier, there was really no nice way to describe Sharpay Evans but today, she would be the best person there was. She would be the bestest friend she could be for Gabriella.

It was exactly a week ago when her make-out session with Zeke had been interrupted by a long-distance phone call from New York. It was highly unusual that she received a phone call from Gabriella during a weekday; usually she would be busy doing some school work. Immediately, in her heart, Sharpay knew something was wrong. Hearing her customized ring tone, she pushed her boyfriend off from his bed and ran to her purse, looked for her cell phone and immediately pressed the Talk button.

"Hello Gabi?", she said frantic, both from her nervous state and from the adrenaline rush she got from kissing her boyfriend. And on the other line, she heard the heartbreaking sound of her best friend's sobs. She was flying to Albuquerque in a week for her grandmother's funeral. Sharpay knew that it wasn't the summertime; she knew that it was not the time to have fun and relax. But she was determined to make Gabriella's stay in New Mexico just like any other trip to Los Cabos. They were going to get away from it all.

And here they were, at the Cathedral, hours before the actual ceremony. While all the florists were arranging flowers along the aisle, they were by the altar rehearsing. Sharpay sat behind the piano, "Gabs, you're amazing. I think it's time we save your voice for later". She looked at her best friend who was standing at the center in front of a microphone, waiting for her response.

"Just one more time. It has to be perfect", Gabriella said. "I wish I didn't have to sing alone. Please sing with me."

Sharpay scoffed. "Yeah right. Me sing? That's fucking hilarious. There's a reason why I'm an aspiring actress, not a singer. But that voice of yours, that's a gift from God." She then turned to her twin brother who was sitting on a stool beside the piano, holding a guitar on his lap. "Okay Ry, one more time for Gabi".

Ryan then strummed his guitar while Sharpay followed after with the piano. After a long introduction, it was Gabriella's turn to sing. The only thing running through her head was her hopes that it would turn out just right, just as her grandmother would have loved to hear.

* * *

Danforth Residence

If anyone had to describe Chad Danforth, impatient would not be one of them. But as of right now, he was getting more and more aggravated with every second that ticks on his grandfather clock. He looked at the time; the funeral was in a little over thirty minutes. He was going to kill Troy. Suddenly, he heard some loud bangings on the door. He hopped off his couch and ran to open the door to see his disheveled best friend with his dry cleaned suit in his right hand.

"What the fuck, dude?" Chad spat as soon as his best friend entered his front foyer. They then made their way up to the stairs. "I left you like ten messages. What's the point of having a phone if you're not gonna read them? Do you know what time it is?"

"Which question do you want me to answer first?" Troy said coolly. His calm attitude pissed Chad off even more. How is he not panicking right now?

"I'm fucking serious, man! My parents couldn't wait for you so they left me and now I have to drive to the funeral. The whole reason why I wanted to go with them was so I didn't have to pick up Taylor. Now she's gonna be on my ass for being late AND for not coming to get her". Sping Break was a tough time for his relationship. Every Spring Break, the boys would go on a basketball retreat to Miami where they would practice and train during the day and party at clubs along South Beach throughout the night. And every single time, Taylor goes from being the smart, independent girl that he loves to an insecure, whiny bitch he just wanted to get away from.

"Relax, okay Chad? I'll drive. Don't get your panties in a bunch. " Troy said as he started making his way to Chad's bathroom.

"No, how about YOU not take Monica's panties OFF when you have a frikken funeral to go to!" Chad retorted as he looked at his wristwatch. Great. Half an hour, that's all time they have left.

"I didn't. I took off Kendra's." And with that, he shut the bathroom door and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of water running.

Precisely five minutes later, a wet Troy, with only a towel around his waist, came out of the bathroom and quickly started getting ready. His phone started to vibrate. It was a text message. He scrolled through the list. Twelve unread messages.

"_Chad: Just open the door wen u get here. Its unlocked."  
_"_Chad: Yo, where u at?"  
_"_Chad: Ur late. U coming or what?"  
_"_Chad: Call me wen u see this"  
_"_Chad: My parents just left…"  
_"_Chad: Wtfffffff!"  
_"_Chad: I swear to god u better be dead"  
_"_Mom: Where in the world are you?"_

Troy read the last message. "Shit".

He quickly dialed his mother's number. Ring…Ring…Ring...  
"Hey", Troy greeted.  
"You better have a really good explanation as to why your not here", his mother said.  
"I know, I know. I'm sorry, ma. We're running a little bit late, but we'll be there. I promise." Troy reassured her.  
"This place is packed. Your dad and I are sitting on the first pew. You guys are just going to have to find somewhere else to sit." Lucille responded in a tone of disappointment.  
"Okay. See you soon". He then hung up the phone.

He quickly groomed his hair, put on his black tie, and ran downstairs to see his friend sitting on the couch tapping his fingers impatiently.  
"Chad, come on, we gotta go" he said as he opened the front door.  
"Well Fina-fucking-lly!" And with that, they drove off to the ceremony.

Once they parked and made their way to the front doors of the Cathedral, the amount of people who showed up overwhelmed them. His mom wasn't kidding, Troy thought, it really was packed. Luckily enough, they spotted Jason who had saved them seats in the middle row. It wasn't too far from the altar, but it wasn't close either. And although they were tall, after all—they were ball players, the heads in front of them still blocked some of their view.

The ceremony was long. At times, when members of the government spoke about Eleanor's commitment and her dedication to the city, it got boring. But there were also times when it became heartfelt, like when Eleanor's children and grandchildren would go up and speak about their beloved mother and grandmother, respectively. And there were also times when a slideshow would just go on and it was like watching a movie. But nothing would prepare Troy for what came next. One minute he felt his phone vibrate on silent and he tried so hard to open the message discreetly to see a text message from Kendra: _"I had an awesome time babe". _And then the next minute, he looks at the programme to see "Special Dedication". He then looks at the altar and from his view, he could see Ryan and Sharpay by the piano.

Ryan starts strumming his guitar. Seconds later, Sharpay accompanies him while she plays the piano. And then, he saw her. Just her. It was like all the air had been sucked out of him, out of everything and only she was there. He couldn't move, he wanted so bad to see Chad or Jason's reaction to the sight of the girl several metres away, but all he could do was stare at her. Stare at how her hair was tied beautifully in a bun, at how her black dress that fit her snuggly just ended above her knees, at how her calves looked so good with her black heels. All he could do was stare at how incredibly beautiful she was.

And then, the music came back on and she started to sing.

"_I'll sing it one last time for you,  
__Then we really have to go,  
__You've been the only thing that's right  
__In all I've done"_

Her physical appearance alone made her sexy, but hearing her voice, Troy thought, she was irresistible. He could listen to her voice forever.

But who was she? There she was, singing with the Evans twins. Could she be another one of their theatre friends?

"_Light up, light up.  
__As if you had a choice,  
__Even if you cannot hear my voice.  
__I'll be right beside you dear"_

"Damn, Sharpay said she could sing. But I didn't know she could sing like that", Jason whispered.  
"Same dude, fuck," Chad replied back.  
What the hell, Troy thought. They've met?

"_To think I might not see those eyes  
__Makes it so hard not to cry  
__And as we say our long goodbyes  
__I nearly do"_

She was absolutely breathtaking.

"_Light up, light up.  
__As if you had a choice,  
__Even if you cannot hear my voice.  
__I'll be right beside you dear"_

After the song had ended, she began to speak. Her singing voice was remarkable, but the sound of her voice was absolutely addicting. He couldn't tell if she had tears on her face due to his distance away from her, but he could hear the sadness of her voice.

"A couple years back, you had asked me to sing for you and I did. And then you said that you couldn't wait until I sang again for you the second time. Grandma, I know you can hear me in heaven. That song was for you".

Did she just say grandma? Now Troy was confused. Since when did Eleanor have a granddaughter that hot?

Ryan and Sharpay then left the altar. From his view, he could see that the goddess stepped a couple of steps down towards the pews and that was all he could see. Her figure disappeared as she blended in with the heads that were in front of him. He cursed himself for sleeping with Kendra a couple hours back. Had he gotten ready earlier, he would have sat at the front row with his parents and had gotten to see her up close. He would have even gotten to see who she sat with, who her family was. After all, Aunt Maria was Eleanor's daughter and he was sure he knew every single one of her sisters.

He so desperately wished the ceremony was over. He wanted answers to two things and he was determined to get them.

One. Which one of Maria's sisters is her mother? He's sure he's met them all. Is it the one who lives in California, the one who travels a lot or the one who lives in Maine?

And two. How the fuck do his friends know her?

* * *

The song Gabriella sings is called 'Run' by Leona Lewis.

THANKS for reading

PLS REVIEW. It would mean the world to me.


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